Seroquel Issues/Questions/Concnerns/Etc

[that crazy TV guy]

I've been on IR for 6 years 200mg. Overall the medication hass addressed the major issues I need it to, which were uncontrollable racing thoughts, agitation, paranoia, and just generally slowing things down.

Here is what is has done that has been an issue:

Weight gain: Steady and relentless. If I eat right I gain weight. If I exercise I gain weight. I have gained a lot of weight in 6 years on the Depakote/Seroquel combo, 100lbs, and I exercise.

I wake up tired and groggy, and pretty much always end up back in bed and asleep until 11 am. I sleep 12 hours a day and I cannot do this. It's been going on for years. If I worked in any other job I would be fucked, but I can get away with it, barely.

My PDoc gave me a bunch of SerXR to try.......the last couple days have been interesting. I feel hungover and have been so irritable. Snapping at everyone around me and barely in control of my emotions (by barely I mean I havent yelled at anyone or broken anything). I am all doped up feeling and my mind is slogging along. I have a good idea for work and it is gone before I can make a note of it.

I read in some of the threads on here that people have had better success with the grogginess issues of Seroquel and XR on much higher doses than I am on. Any other thoughts, experiences and such on the IR to XR transition, how to cope, how long it will take to get normal again.....I'd love some help. I love my family and they are suffering because of this.

Forgive how disjointed this is, I'm having a little trouble getting it all together. Thanks for your help.

[HAL9000]

My daughter takes this and many things got better the longer she took it. I think most drug therapies need time to settle in. Her pdoc said that higher doses (I'm not sure why) don't cause the sleepyness that small ones do. *If I remember this right.

[Pamito]

I had a bad reaction to the ER. I got akathisia and wanted to punch a wall. The IR does not have this effect.

My doctor gave me modafinil to try to help the sedation. It didn't work out.

I'm on 800mg IR and sleep probably 10 hours, but my weight has stabilized, even though I am overweight.

I think you just need to weight up if you can tolerate the side effects. I don't like them, but they are better than being psychotic. I hope you find a good balance. Maybe the ER agitiation will wear off for you. Good luck, I know how irritating side effects can be.

[waypills666]

I had a bad reaction to the ER.

I got akathisia and wanted to punch a wall.

The IR does not have this effect.

Weird. I had severe akathisia with the IR.

ZERO akathisia with the XR.

[withdelight]

I had the same issues with Seroquel IR, the weight gain and sedation are what finally drove me to switch to a different AAP even though it was keeping me stable. Before switching, though, we gave XR a shot. It messed me up so bad! I felt foggy and sedated all the time and after about a week or 2 on it I had a bad mixed episode and ended up in the hospital for a week. I went back on the IR in the hospital and things settled back down, so I'm fairly certain it was the XR that did it. Anyway, I don't think that's a common reaction, but leads me to believe the XR isn't for everyone, even if the IR worked great.